Campaign gears up to stop greenbelt threat

Residents in Milton of Campsie have stepped up their campaign against controversial plans to build houses on greenbelt land.

CALA Homes wants to build 55 properties, which would include affordable housing, on a site at the village’s Birdston Road.

So far, East Dunbartonshire Council has received well over 80 objections, including from the owners of a care home next to the site.

Alan Harris, Chair of Milton of Campsie Community Council, said this week: “Milton of Campsie Community Council is strongly opposed to any house building on greenbelt sites.

According to Mr Harris, back in 2011 the Scottish Government Reporter referred to the site as being the “strong defendable green belt boundary” between Birdston and Milton of Campsie and “found no justification for the removal of the site from the greenbelt”.

Mr Harris said: “Nothing has changed since 2011 and this site is not earmarked for development in the Local Plan or the emerging Local Development Plan.”

Dr Morag Campbell, Chair of Milton of Campsie Greenbelt Preservation Group, said “The proposed development creates risk for everyone in the village and the vulnerable residents of the care home.

“A major issue is the increase in particulate pollution from the increased traffic, causing many chest conditions from asthma to lung cancer. it is just not acceptable.”

Sue and Peter Kemp, owners of the Kincaid Lodge house, described the plans as “an opportunistic bid” by developers “looking for a quick return for their investors.”

They added: “This development will destroy the rural setting of both the care home and the historic Kincaid Hotel, and continues the onslaught of new housing on village greenbelt spaces.”

A spokesperson for CALA Homes (West) said: “CALA is proposing a carefully integrated, sustainable development of quality detached family homes that will correspond with its surroundings.

“This site was previously assessed as part of the local authority’s local development plan review and was identified as a ‘reasonable alternative’ housing site which could potentially contribute to the East Dunbartonshire Council five year housing land supply target. Our plans have been prepared in close consultation with the local authority, and will be considered by its planning committee in due course. We await the outcome of its decision.”